CMMI and The Guide

CMMI, Capability Maturity Model Integrated

CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integrated) is a software standard developed by the Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute. CMMI defines software development best practices that should be implemented, aiming at improving software quality. Practices cover topics that include requirement management, decision making, measuring performance, planning work, handling risks, and more. CMMI practices can be used in a team, a work group, a project, a division, or an entire organization.

• level 1: Initial
• level 2: Managed
• level 3: Defined
• level 4: Quantitatively managed
• level 5: Optimizing

CMMI support in The Guide

The Guide supports standards, and CMMI has been configured into The Guide as a standard. CMMI is supported in several ways:

• Minimizes work. The biggest obstacle in all formal processes is that people should master the processes, but they don't. Nobody can by hart every little detail in all process definitions. The time spent by everyone studying Your company formal processes would be so high that it is not worth it. The Guide can automatically check and suggest actions to take, and reduces to amount of time spent in studying processes to almost zero. Yet all the benefits of formal processes are achieved.
• CMMI breakdown. The standards can be searched for, and easily navigated (where a particular standard point is referenced).
• Standard adherence. All work in The Guide is done in projects. Projects follow processes. Processes conform to standards, and projects follow standards. All deviations from standards are shown in real time for project members.
• Activities. Processes are defined into The Guide, and an activity is the place in an process where actual work is done. While doing work in The Guide all activities show all the time which standards (e.g. which level of CMMI) are followed and which are not. And what should be done in order to get the standard adherence back on track.
• Maturity levels. All 5 levels are supported.
• Rationale for activities. Always when doing work in The Guide the user sees also if some standard requires some activity to be done, and if so, which standard and why.
• Best practices software. The Guide supports best practices. You can define your own set of software development best practices, and they will always be shown on appropriate places. CMMI defines it's own set, You can add Your own set specific to Your company!

All companies start at level 1. As their processes and best practices evolve, the maturity level increases. Obtaining CMMI level 5 has traditionally been regarding as being very difficult and expensive, and doubts has risen if it is worth it.

The Guide automates intellectual work. The higher the maturity level, the more work can be automated. The Guide has been developed to improve Your software development productivity, and aids and automates a big part of the work needed to obtain higher maturity levels. By using The Guide You will receive all the benefits of high CMMI maturity level, but with a fraction of cost compared to doing it without automation! Obtaining CMMI level 5 is really achievable with a minimum of additional work.

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